The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Various devices like compressors, pumps, engines, or expanders may be used to displace fluids in a system. Certain compressors, such as scroll compressors, may be sealed from external gases and air. An exemplary sealing is a hermetic or semi-hermetic sealing of the compressor. However, once sealed, the repair or maintenance options are limited. In certain aspects, the device may be pretreated to facilitate proper operation. An exemplary pre-treatment before hermetically sealing the device includes oven-drying the compressor for a prolonged duration of time followed by evacuation to remove residual moisture because such residual moisture may lead to acid formation and/or degradation of the lubricants and refrigerant system used in the compressor. The drying process is time and energy intensive, requires expensive capital equipment and maintenance, and accounts for a non-negligible portion of the costs of the final compressor. The cumbersome drying process and financial burden are tolerated, however, to mitigate the impact of moisture on the ultimate operation of the hermetically sealed compressor and to allow time efficient drawdown and refrigerant charge at the end user.
Despite the pre-treatment drying efforts, residual moisture may exist in the internal components within the compressor and the lubricant, and considering that some lubricant systems can be hygroscopic, the present moisture may have an affinity for the lubricant. As such, the sealed environment of the compressor processing lubricants and/or refrigerants poses challenges to maintaining a dry system.